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03 May 2013

ICYMI: Next Week is International Clitoris Awareness Week, So Let's Revere the Clitoris in all its Glory

Clitoraid.org, a nonprofit organization fighting female genital mutilation, announced its first annual International Clitoris Awareness Week, May 6 to May 12.

"Our first six years of humanitarian work have been dedicated to surgically repairing clitorises for female genital mutilation [FGM] victims, and on October 8 we'll open the world's first Clitoral Restoration Hospital," said Nadine Gary, Clitoraid spokesperson. "This year, we'll celebrate the sexual pleasure of all women, since all can benefit from more sexual appreciation."

She said another Clitoraid mission is to raise public awareness about the clitoris.

"It's been ignored, vilified, made taboo, and considered sinful and shameful for centuries because of patriarchal religious values," Gary said. "It's time to give this beautiful organ the attention it deserves. It's the only human organ with an exclusive sexual pleasure function!"

We don't need to go far back in history to see why Western women still experience sexual guilt, she said.

"In the 19th century, 'nymphomania' was considered a disease," Gary said. "Maybe it still is! Masturbation was thought to cause jaundice, blindness and premature death, and doctors even believed that sexual arousal destroys a woman's mental balance. The clitoris was declared the source of these purported problems, and in 1865, the president of the British Medical Society recommended clitoral excision as a cure for illnesses like epilepsy and hysteria. Amazingly, scientists didn't really research the clitoris until the 21st century. Dr. Helen O'Connell, an Australian urologist, finally mapped it in all its voluptuous splendor 8 years ago by using an MRI device."

Gary pointed out that the clitoris boasts the most nerve endings of any human body organ: about 8,000. (The penis has about 5,000.)

"Dr. O'Connell's work shows that the clitoris reaches 8 inches in length," she said. "Its highly pleasurable erectile tissue is wrapped around the vulva like two magnificent arches. That's why we can surgically restore a clitoris whose tip has been mutilated."

For International Clitoris Awareness Week, Clitoraid is inviting women to organize special events.

"Whether through educational lectures, art exhibits, songs and dance, or a 'girl's night' of sharing, each woman can celebrate sexual beauty the way she chooses," Gary said. "Sexual expression brings self-esteem and inner balance, so let's revere the clitoris in all its glory while completely free of shame and guilt!"